Published: May 13, 2019
The Ocala/ Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership has been named a finalist
for the 2019 Chamber of the Year award, presented by Alexandria, Va.-based Association of Chamber of
Commerce Executives.
The award, sponsored by MemberClicks, is the most prestigious and competitive recognition presented annually
by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE). ACCE is an association of more than 8,000
professionals from 1,300 chambers of commerce, including 93 of the top 100 U.S. metro areas.
The Chamber of the Year award recognizes the leadership role chambers have in their communities. Those
honored with the Chamber of the Year designation have demonstrated organizational strength and made an
impact on key community priorities, such as education, transportation, business development and quality of life.
Chamber of the Year winners will be announced July 15 at the 2019 ACCE Annual Convention in Long Beach, Calif.
“The CEP is honored to again by a finalist for this recognition. It is a great testament to the incredible work of our
team, leadership, and most significantly, our partners,” said Ken Ausley, Chairman of the CEP Board of Directors.
Chambers of commerce interested in competing for the award first must qualify by participating in a vigorous
multi-stage process. Organizations entering the Chamber of the Year competition must meet minimum thresholds
in at least three of five key performance areas, including net revenue and assets, membership account retention,
and membership dollar retention.
Qualifying for Chamber of the Year is a rigorous process. Chambers compete based on meeting key performance
criteria on the ACCE Annual Operations Survey. Qualifying chambers enter the competition with a written
application addressing all aspects of organizational operation and programmatic work. Applications are scored by
peer chamber executives to determine finalists. Winners are selected from among finalists based on an in-person
interview before a panel of experienced chamber professionals.
This year's competition drew numerous entries from chambers throughout the U.S. To ensure the fairest
competition, applicants are grouped into four categories based on: annual revenue, membership, area population
and other factors.